Pet locating device

ABSTRACT

A pet location system having a pet locator with GPS capabilities in communication with a wireless network such that a user interface accessible on a common computer network or by telephone is provided. The pet location system includes access to the user interface via a computer on the common computer network or via a telecommunications network.

This application claims priority and the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from U.S. provisional patent application 60/844,089 for“Apparatus for Providing Physical Location of Domestic Animals” filedSep. 8, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally systems for locating pets thatare lost and in particular to GPS enabled pet locating system.

2. Description of Related Art

Within the pet industry, and in particular within the pet locatormarket, there have been many attempts to use technology to assist ownerswho have lost their pets. Some have used radiofrequency while othershave used GPS locators in complex systems.

Such systems have failed to provide a product or service that isacceptable to the marketplace in simplicity, usability and features.

A need exists, therefore, for a pet location system that includes a petlocator with GPS capabilities in communication with a wireless networksuch that a user interface is accessible on a common computer network orby telephone.

All references cited herein are incorporated by reference to the maximumextent allowable by law. To the extent a reference may not be fullyincorporated herein, it is incorporated by reference for backgroundpurposes and indicative of the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in theart.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problems presented in pet location are solved by the systems andmethods of the present invention. In accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention, a pet location system that includes a pet locatorwith GPS capabilities in communication with a wireless network such thata user interface accessible on a common computer network or by telephoneis provided. Such a system would preferably include a database accessedby the user interface with user data associated with locator data toassist the user in managing an account as well as querying the petlocator for location or diagnostic information.

Additional features would include the ability to phone into the userinterface via a standard telephone number to query the pet locator withautomated commands or by phoning into an operator who would query thepet locator via the user interface and give location informationverbally. Further additional features would include the ability of thirdparties to access location information from the user interface toprovide additional services, such as display of location information onportable display devices, such as phones and handheld computers, orintegration of location information into other services provided to theuser by third parties.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent with reference to the drawings and detailed descriptionthat follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pet locator shown on and off of a canine pet;

FIG. 2 is another pet locator;

FIG. 3 is a pet locator and battery pack;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the pet locator of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic of a pet location system using a pet locator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

All references cited herein are incorporated by reference to the maximumextent allowable by law. To the extent a reference may not be fullyincorporated herein, it is incorporated by reference for backgroundpurposes and indicative of the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in theart.

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments,reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof,and in which is shown by way of illustration specific preferredembodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodimentsare described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art topractice the invention, and it is understood that other embodiments maybe utilized and that logical mechanical and electrical changes may bemade without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Toavoid detail not necessary to enable those skilled in the art topractice the invention, the description may omit certain informationknown to those skilled in the art. The following detailed descriptionis, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of thepresent invention is defined only by the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a pet locator 10 shown on and off of a canine pet 18. The petlocator 10 is attached to a collar 12 having a leash ring 14 and clips16. Using clips 16 to connect collar 12 to pet locator 10 forms a loopthat may be secured around the neck of a canine pet 18. Collar 12 may besized to fit a wide variety of canine and feline pets 18 with a singlepet locator 10. Pet locator 10 may be attached to other types of pets 18as well and the term pet 18 is not limited to family companions, but mayinclude a variety of animals.

FIG. 2 is another embodiment of a pet locator 10 adapted to fit anexisting collar 12 by feeding collar 12 through loops 17. Loops 17 allowpet locator 10 to be attached to a wide variety of collars 12 to fit thepreferences of the pet 18 and pet owner.

FIG. 3 is a pet locator 10 showing the various functional parts thereofin several views, including a logic module 20 in connection with awireless module 22 and a GPS module 24. GPS module 24 is further incommunication with a GPS antenna 26 such that the GPS module 24 and GPSantenna 26 receive signals from a global positioning satellite system 28to calculate the location of GPS antenna 26 using algorithms andprocesses commonly known in the GPS arts. Wireless module 22 is incommunication with a wireless antenna 30 such that wireless module 22and wireless antenna 30 receive and transmit signals on a wirelessnetwork 32. Wireless network 32 is preferably the NPCS/PCS two-way pagernetwork or mobile phone network as those networks are currentlyunderstood in their respective fields. It is understood that newwireless networks 32 may eventually provide coverage similar or superiorto these known networks and be useful for this application. Wirelessmodule 22 is a transceiver appropriate to the chosen wireless network32.

Logic module 20 is connected to wireless module 22 and GPS module 24 byflexible electronic connections 34 so that pet locator 10 may flex tofit a variety of pets 18. Wireless module 22 is connected to wirelessantenna 30 and GPS module 24 is connected to GPS antenna 26 by flexibleelectronic connections 34, as well. Battery pack 36 is shown connectedto logic module 20 and supplies electrical power to pet locator 10.

FIG. 4 is a pet locator 10 and battery pack 36, shown in exploded view.Battery pack 36 has grooves 40 for mating into tabs 38 on logic module20, and electrical connector 42 for engagement with logic module 20.Seal 44, preferably an o-ring, is placed between logic module 20 andbattery pack 36 and around electrical connector 42 to prevent fluidsfrom entering logic module 20 or fouling electrical connector 42.Battery pack 36 may be a rechargeable battery pack or a disposablebattery pack. Removal of battery pack 36 from the pet locator 18 allowsfor easy replacement or temporary removal for recharging withoutremoving pet locator 10 from pet 18.

FIG. 5 is a schematic of a pet location system 50 having the basicstructure of a pet locator 10, wireless network 28, computer network 52,and a user interface 54. Pet locator 10 is shown receiving signals fromthe GPS system 28 to and in two-way communication with the wirelessnetwork 32. Wireless network 32 is in two-way communication with acomputer network 52. The user interface is made up of applicationprogramming interfaces (API) 56, such as search site 68 and interactivevoice recognition (IVR) system 58, in communication with a searchdatabase 70 and a message server 72. The user interface 54 is accessibleby a user by either a personal computer 60 or by telephone 62. Thepersonal computer 60 communicates with the user interface 54 throughsearch site 58 via a computer network 52 to initiate queries to the petlocator 10 and view responses from the pet locator 10. Additionally, anend user may use a telephone 62 to call over a telecommunicationsnetwork 64 to an IVR API 58 or a support center 66. Support center 66 ispreferably at least one operator with computer access to the searchdatabase 70 and message server 72 through an API 66. Support center 66can receive a verbal request from an end user and initiate a query tothe pet locator 10 and verbally communicate location information to theuser once returned from the pet locator 10. IVR API 58 allows forsimilar service in an automated fashion well known to users ofinteractive voice recognition.

The user interface 54 is intended to provide a variety of functions andquery options. Interface 54 would require login and verification of theuser to prevent unauthorized access. Interface 54 would allow anauthorized user to initiate a query to the pet locator 10 requesting awide variety of information such as any of the following information:location, battery power level, self diagnostics report, GPS signalreception, wireless signal reception, continuous tracking. Queryfunctions may be added or deleted based on service contract or need. Alocation query would instruct logic module 20 to activate GPS module 24and receive GPS signals from the GPS system 28 at the GPS antenna 26.The location information would then be transmitted back to the messageserver 72 to be accessed via the user interface 54 or the support center66. The location information would be translated into a format selectedby the user, such as street address or graphical representation. Acontinuous location query would instruct the logic module to repeat thisprocess, providing location information at a pre-selected interval untilthe logic control is instructed to quit transmitting. System informationqueries, such as battery power level, signal strengths and selfdiagnostics, would instruct the logic module 20 to perform the requestedtasks and report the requested information back to the message database72. The small size of the battery is assisted by the fact that much ofthe pet locator 10 is not powered until a query is received. Only thewireless module needs power on a consistent basis, and even that can bereduced by operating at a pre-selected interval instead of continuously.

User interface 54 allows for the multiple pet locators 10 to beassociated with a single user and provides other customer service andsales functions, such as answering common questions about the system,advertising service plans, and accepting credit card payment.

External application interfaces 74 allow for third party access to thesearch database 70 and message server 72 via the telecommunicationsnetwork 64 or computer network 52. External application interfaces 74may be used by third parties such as cellular phone service providers orGPS service providers to add the pet locator 10 location informationinto enriched programs, such as an enriched graphical representationincorporating data from other sources as well. By providing API 56 thatallow access for external application interfaces 74 it is expected thatthird parties will develop niche products using pet locator 10information for potential clients.

The primary advantage of the present invention is the flexibility of theapplication bridge and the user interface to handle a wide variety oftasks and data and provide for future uses by third parties. While theutility has been described most clearly in the context of locating pets,a similar system may be easily modified for the location of people andother animate objects. For example, pet locator 10 may be modified tofit a belt of a child and pet location system 50 may be modified to beused by parents, guardians, or police to locate a child reportedmissing.

It should be apparent from the foregoing that an invention havingsignificant advantages has been provided. While the invention is shownin only a few of its forms, it is not just limited but is susceptible tovarious changes and modifications without departing from the spiritthereof.

1. A pet location system comprising: a pet locator adapted forattachment to a pet, the locator including a GPS receiver incommunication with a logic module, the logic module in communicationwith a wireless module; a wireless network, the wireless network capableof sending information to and receiving information from the wirelessmodule; and a user interface operable on the computer network to allowan end user to initiate a communication over the wireless network to thewireless module of the pet locator.
 2. The system according to claim 1wherein: the user interface provides for a user to initiate a query tothe logic module and receive a response from the logic module.
 3. Thesystem according to claim 2 wherein: the query may be a request forlocation information from the logic module, such query initiating theGPS module to determine the location of the pet locator and report thelocation information to the logic module, the logic module reporting thelocation information to the user interface via the wireless module andwireless network.
 4. The system according to claim 1 wherein: the userinterface may be accessed by telephone.
 5. The system according to claim4 wherein: the user interface may be accessed by calling a telephoneoperator who may access the user interface and communicate locationinformation to the user.
 6. The system according to claim 4 wherein: theuser interface may be accessed by calling an interactive voicerecognition system over a telecommunications network to access the userinterface and communicate location information to the user.
 7. Thesystem according to claim 1 wherein: the user interface may be accessedby a remote display device capable of translating the locationinformation into a graphical representation of location.
 8. The systemaccording to claim 1 wherein: the user interface may be accessed by athird party to provide additional services.
 9. The system according toclaim 1 wherein: the user interface can access a database withinformation relating end users to pet locators.
 10. The system accordingto claim 1 wherein: the user interface provides for a user to initiate aquery to the logic module and receive a response from the logic module.11. A pet location method comprising the steps of: initiating a searchquery in a user interface on a computer network; transmitting the queryfrom the user interface to a wireless network; transmitting the queryfrom the wireless network to a logic module via a wireless module;processing the query at the logic module to activate a GPS module, theGPS module determining location information via satellite signals andreporting location information to the logic module; transmittinglocation information from the logic module to the wireless module, thewireless network and the user interface.
 12. The method according toclaim 11 wherein: the initiating the search query in the user interfaceis input via telephone connection to the user interface.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 11 wherein: the initiating the search query in theuser interface is input via telephone operator in response to a vocalrequest.
 14. The method according to claim 11 further comprising thestep: associating user data and pet locator data in a databaseaccessible by the user interface.
 15. The method according to claim 11further comprising the step: transmitting the location information fromthe user interface to a display device.
 16. The method according toclaim 15 further comprising the step of: displaying the locationinformation in a graphical manner on the display device.
 17. The methodaccording to claim 11 further comprising the step of: transmitting thelocation information from the user interface to third parties.
 18. A petlocator comprising: a logic module connected to a GPS module and awireless module; the GPS module in communication with a GPS antennaadapted to receive satellite signals and transmit the satellite signalsto the GPS module for calculating location information for the GPSantenna; the wireless module in communication with a wireless antennaadapted to transmit and receive wireless signals for communicatingqueries from a wireless network to the logic module and communicatingresponses from the logic module to the wireless network; such that thelogic module is in communication with a user interface on a computernetwork via the wireless module over a wireless network connected to thecomputer network.
 19. The pet locator according to claim 18 wherein: thelogic module, GPS module and wireless module are secured to a pet via acollar or suitable harness.
 20. The pet locator according to claim 18wherein: the logic module, GPS module, GPS antenna, wireless antenna andwireless module are enclosed in a collar adapted to be secured to a pet.21. The pet locator according to claim 18 wherein: the user interfacemay be accessed by telephone connection to the computer network.
 22. Thepet locator according to claim 18 wherein: the user interface includes adatabase suitable to relate users to pet locators.